Mo Harris

Mo Harris (también conocida como Porter o Big Mo ) es un personaje ficticio de la telenovela de la BBC EastEnders , que hizo su primera aparición el 18 de septiembre de 2000, interpretada por Laila Morse . Mo también fue interpretada por Lorraine Stanley en el spin-off de 2004, Pat and Mo , que profundizaba en su pasado con su cuñada, Pat Evans ( Pam St Clement /Emma Cooke).

Mo es un personaje muy cómico y su tendencia a los tratos dudosos aporta gran parte del entretenimiento ligero del programa. En julio de 2012, el contrato de Morse no fue renovado, pero no fue eliminada inmediatamente de la serie y continuó haciendo apariciones ocasionales hasta el 21 de enero de 2016. La reintroducción de Mo se anunció en diciembre de 2017 y regresó a tiempo completo el 16 de marzo de 2018. El 6 de febrero de 2021, se anunció que Morse dejaría el papel una vez más y se marchó el 3 de junio de 2021. El 28 de junio de 2022, se anunció que Mo regresaría para una breve temporada más adelante en el año. Mo regresó el 10 de agosto de 2022 y se marchó el 14 de septiembre de 2022. El 28 de febrero de 2024, se confirmó que Mo haría un regreso permanente a EastEnders junto con su bisnieto Freddie Slater ( Bobby Brazier ); Su regreso se emitió el 20 de mayo de 2024.

En 2000, el productor ejecutivo de EastEnders , John Yorke, decidió introducir a la "clásica" familia Slater . ^{[ 1 ]} Sentía que la serie necesitaba volver a sus raíces y recuperar algunos valores tradicionales. ^{[ 1 ]} El jefe de drama de la BBC, Mal Young, comentó: "No tenemos suficientes familias sólidas en la telenovela, había muchas familias fracturadas y personas que estaban solas". ^{[ 1 ]} La familia fue creada como reemplazo de la familia di Marco, que fue eliminada por Yorke. La familia estaba compuesta por la abuela Mo ( Laila Morse ), el padre Charlie Slater ( Derek Martin ), sus cuatro hijos, Lynne Slater ( Elaine Lordan ), Kat Slater ( Jessie Wallace ), Little Mo Morgan ( Kacey Ainsworth ), Zoe Slater ( Michelle Ryan ), así como el novio de Lynne, Garry Hobbs ( Ricky Groves ). ^{[ 1 ]}

El personaje de Mo y el resto de la familia Slater fueron creados durante talleres con Tony Jordan y John Yorke . Se invitó a actores londinenses a improvisar en grupos, y los personajes se crearon durante estas improvisaciones. ^{[ 2 ]} Laila Morse fue elegida para interpretar a Mo e hizo su primera aparición en pantalla el 18 de septiembre de 2000. Fue nombrada "Revelación del Año" por el crítico de televisión Ian Hyland en 2000. ^{[ 3 ]}

Morse describió a Mo como "una persona muy fuerte [que] ama a la familia [y] no toleraría que se dijera nada malo de ellos". Se ha dicho que ella "mantiene unida a la familia... [actuando] como una madre sustituta para sus nietas". ^{[ 4 ]} Su actividad delictiva ha llevado a que la describan como una " Fagin o Del Boy femenina " y la "reina de las imitaciones ". ^{[ 5 ]} A Mo también la han descrito como una "mujer dura" y una "luchadora". ^{[ 6 ]} Otro escritor de The People dijo que Mo es "de carácter fuerte". ^{[ 7 ]}

Ha tenido problemas con la policía por evasión de impuestos, pero no muestra ninguna intención de reformarse. A Mo le encanta el chisme, siempre está dispuesta a una fiesta y nunca rechaza una copa en el Vic... sobre todo si paga otra persona. Como matriarca de la familia Slater, ha librado muchas batallas y luchará hasta la muerte para defender a sus hijas. Es dura como una roca y no tolera tonterías. A menos que le ofrezcan plata, o cualquier otro tipo de dinero.

El principal vínculo de Mo con Albert Square , antes de su llegada, era su excuñada Pat Butcher ( Pam St Clement ). Existe animosidad entre ambas, ya que Pat cree que Mo engañó a su difunto hermano, Jimmy Harris (Alex King), y aún guarda rencor. Al regresar a la plaza, Mo reaviva la llama de su larga disputa con Pat, que comenzó tres décadas antes. ^{[ 1 ]} Su historia se desarrolló aún más en la serie derivada Soap "Bubble" Pat and Mo , ^{[ 9 ]} ambientada en la década de 1960 y protagonizada por una Pat y una Mo adolescentes, interpretadas por Emma Cooke y Lorraine Stanley , respectivamente. ^{[ 10 ]}

El contrato de Morse no se renovó en julio de 2012, pero no fue eliminada inmediatamente de la serie y continuó haciendo apariciones ocasionales. ^{[ 11 ]} Mo hizo su última aparición el 21 de enero de 2016, pero Morse dijo en junio de 2017 que nunca había dejado oficialmente el elenco, diciendo: "De repente mi personaje desapareció y ya no estaba en él, pero nunca he dejado oficialmente la serie; nunca he tenido una fiesta de despedida ni un regalo. Espero que Big Mo regrese. Me gusta todo el elenco, son personas encantadoras, así que sería bueno filmar con ellos de nuevo". ^{[ 12 ]}

On 20 December 2017, it was announced that Morse would reprise the role in early 2018. Mo's reintroduction was announced alongside that of Kat Slater (Wallace) and Jean Slater (Wright). Morse expressed her joy at returning and stated that fans would regularly ask about Mo. She commented, "I can't wait to see everyone and get stuck back into life in Walford."^[13] Yorke, who returned as the show's executive consultant in 2017, called the Slater family "one of the all-time great families in EastEnders" and opined that the show is very different without them.^[13] On their reintroduction, Yorke commented, "It has been a real joy to find a way to bring them back together and we're incredibly excited about where we are taking them next."^[13] Yorke also revealed that new Slater family members would be introduced too.^[13]

On 6 February 2021, it was announced that Morse would be departing from the role of Mo again. Her departure was aired on 3 June 2021.^[14]

On 28 June 2022, it was announced that Mo would return for a short stint later in the summer. Mo returned on 10 August 2022 and departed on 14 September 2022, when she returned home to Essex.^[15] It was announced on 28 February 2024 that Mo would return full time to the soap in the Spring alongside her great-grandson Freddie (Bobby Brazier).^[16]

Mo, who previously lived in Walford, returns there after almost forty years away, with her son-in-law, Charlie Slater (Derek Martin) and granddaughters, Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan), Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), Little Mo Morgan (Kacey Ainsworth) and Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan), although Zoe is later revealed to be Kat's secret daughter, making her Mo's great-granddaughter. Mo's rivalry with her former best friend Pat Evans (Pam St Clement) arises, but they reconcile at the grave of Mo's former husband and Pat's brother, Jimmy Harris (Alex King). Much of Mo's time is spent selling poor quality stolen goods and she trades with Fat Elvis (Shenton Dixon). She is assisted by Mickey (Joe Swash) and Darren Miller (Charlie G. Hawkins) and for a while sets up a sex chatline. She also works with Charlie's great-niece Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) on her market stall, selling clothes. She has a brief relationship with Bert Atkinson (Dave Hill), but ends it because Bert is also seeing her friend, Ina Foot (Ina Clare). They reconcile, but break up again when Bert's ex-wife, Evie Brown (Marji Campi), arrives in Walford, terminally ill. Mo begins selling cigarettes that she bought in Spain and two of her customers turn out to be Revenue and Customs officers. She is sentenced to 100 hours of community service, for tax evasion. After Stacey marries Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements), Mo tries to sell their wedding gifts.

Mo ve a la pareja de Charlie, Brenda Boyle ( Carmel Cryan ), abrazando a otro hombre en la estación de metro, pero el hombre es el hermano de Brenda, Clive Robinson (Col Farrel). Brenda le revela a Mo que se mudará a Madeira con su familia y Mo convence a Charlie para que no la deje ir. Sin embargo, Brenda y Charlie se van juntos, dejando a Mo devastada. Empieza a beber mucho y protesta contra la venta del taxi de Charlie. Charlie regresa a Walford con una mujer llamada Orlenda ( Mary Tamm ), pero Mo no confía en ella. Orlenda se va, después de admitir que estaba estafando a Charlie, pero le devuelve el dinero. Mo se hace cargo de una obra de teatro navideña infantil, pero no logra controlar a los niños. En una rifa, gana el coche de Max Branning ( Jake Wood ), pero lo vende, para disgusto de Max. Cuando Archie Mitchell ( Larry Lamb ) es asesinado (ver ¿ Quién mató a Archie? ), Mo comienza una apuesta sobre quién lo mató. Ella corre cuando ve a un policía, pero luego, otro oficial aparece detrás de ella y ella le pregunta si quiere hacer una apuesta. Se va de vacaciones a España con Fat Elvis y cuando regresa, se sorprende al descubrir que Bradley está muerto. Mo intenta vender las biblias de Lucas Johnson ( Don Gilet ) al público, como macabros recuerdos del asesino. Su insensibilidad hace que la echen del pub The Queen Victoria . Mo recibe una llamada de Kat, quien quiere el certificado de nacimiento de Zoe. Mo se encuentra con Kat en un café y le da el certificado. Kat le confiesa a Mo que estafó a un hombre y necesita una nueva identidad. Kat también le miente a Mo, afirmando que su esposo, Alfie Moon ( Shane Richie ), está muerto. Mo persuade a Kat para que vuelva a casa y Kat acepta a regañadientes, pero cuando llegan a casa, unos hombres están esperando a Kat y su dinero. Sin embargo, Alfie los echa. Mo se sorprende al saber que Kat está embarazada y que Alfie no es el padre. Cuando Kat se pone de parto, Mo ayuda a dar a luz a su hijo, Tommy Moon , en el suelo del almacén de barriles del Queen Vic. Ese mismo día, Ronnie Branning ( Samantha Womack ) da a luz a un niño, James Branning . En Nochevieja, Ronnie descubre que James ha muerto y lo intercambia por Tommy. Alfie y la familia encuentran al bebé fallecido y creen que es Tommy.

After Kat blames Charlie for Tommy's death, Charlie decides to go and live with Lynne, despite Mo begging him not to go. Left living alone, Mo asks Kat if she can move into The Queen Vic and let No. 23. Kat refuses initially but later agrees when Mo reminds her that she never complained about living with Kat's bad habits. Mo continues with her dodgy deals while staying at the pub, including persuading Stacey's mother, Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) to serve "turkey" for pub lunches, which turns out to be swan meat. When a benefit fraud officer declares that Jean has been illegally claiming benefits while working at the pub, Mo admits to Jean and Kat that she has been claiming benefits in Jean's name. Jean agrees to take the blame, as Mo has previous convictions. When Mo learns that her old enemy, Pat, is terminally ill, she visits her in hospital and they end their long-standing feud. When Pat later dies, Mo returns Pat's Miss Butlin's sash, that she stole years ago, out of jealousy. When Mo learns that Charlie has suffered a stroke, she leaves Walford to look after him. Several months later, Jean visits them and Mo returns to The Queen Vic when she believes that Jean is hiding something from her. Her suspicions are confirmed, when she discovers that Alfie is allowing Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons) to stay in The Queen Vic. Mo continues to disapprove of Roxy's presence in The Queen Vic, after Kat and Alfie split up. It is later revealed that Mo has rented a villa in Devon, owned by "a mate".

Mo returns to collect rent from Kat, Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd) and Alice Branning (Jasmyn Banks). She demands Alice pays by the end of the day, or she will evict her. Kat later convinces Mo to give up her keys to the house. Three months later, Jean discovers that Mo is stealing vegetables from the Walford allotments and Mo convinces Jean's new partner, Ollie Walters (Tony O'Callaghan), a police officer whom Mo knows, not to report her, as she is Jean's family. At Christmas, Mo and Charlie visit Walford, where it is revealed that Kat is pregnant with twins. Two months later, Alfie calls Mo, after dealing with some serious family issues, raised by the re-appearance of Stacey after a four-year absence, to which Mo plans to spend more time in Walford to support her family. Mo is delighted when Kat and Alfie's twins, Bert and Ernie Moon (Freddie and Stanley Beale), are born, but the family's joy is cut short when a fire starts at their house and when it reaches a supply of knock-off hairspray, which Mo had intended to sell, a huge explosion destroys everything that they own. Kat is badly injured and Mo is wracked with guilt, briefly moving in with Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra), before taking an extended holiday in Lanzarote with Charlie.

Mo returns to Albert Square and is shocked to discover that Alfie and Kat have, once again, separated and that her family are financially struggling. Mo reveals to a destitute Kat that she inherited money from her deceased uncle, Harry Slater (Michael Elphick), who had raped her as a child, impregnating her with Zoe. Kat turns the money down, so Mo secretly has the money transferred to her own account, pretending to be Kat. When Kat discovers this, she is livid and burns the money in the street. Kat and Alfie reconcile and after winning the jackpot on a scratch card, plan to move to Tenerife. At their leaving party, Mo shows a stunned Kat an engagement ring, revealing that she has accepted a marriage proposal from her long-time business associate and romantic interest, Fat Elvis. Shortly after Kat and Alfie's departure, Mo and Fat Elvis leave for Greece. When Mo returns alongside Charlie, she reveals that Fat Elvis has left her. When Kat learns she had also given birth to a boy along with Zoe, she realises that Mo knew about the secret, so angrily demands the truth from her. During the argument with Mo that ensues, Charlie suffers a heart attack in front of Mo, Stacey and Kat. After suffering from a cardiac arrest, Charlie dies, which devastates the family. After attending Charlie's funeral, Mo moves to Kent to live with her other granddaughter, Belinda Peacock (Carli Norris), as Kat cannot forgive her for having her son adopted. When Belinda moves to Walford after her marriage ends, Mo's whereabouts are not mentioned.

Mo returns to Walford, telling Stacey that Kat has died. They raise funds for Kat's funeral, while Mo avoids answering her phone or the door. A coffin is donated and Mo calls Fat Elvis saying she has a coffin for sale. Jean later arrives, saying that Kat is very much alive. Stacey demands the truth from Mo and threatens to call Lynne or Little Mo to clarify if Kat is dead at all. It then emerges that Mo lied to raise money as she has financial troubles following a dispute with a mob. Kat suddenly returns to Walford in a cab and is confused that The Queen Vic is holding a benefit night in memory of her and she is annoyed with Mo when she learns the truth, but is forced to hide in a cupboard when Ian visits with the raised money. Annie Pritchard (Martha Howe-Douglas), the daughter of Terry, who Mo conned, arrives on the Slaters doorstep demanding her father's money back, but the family fool her into believing Mo has died and they offer to pay the money. Kat, Stacey and Mo arrive at The Queen Vic and attempt to maintain that Mo made a mistake; Mo then fakes a heart attack, the residents think the Slaters are conwomen and a bar fight soon starts. The family find out that Mo took £300 of the money and when they go to return it to Mick Carter (Danny Dyer), Mo sneaks off and encounters Annie, who injures Mo. Jean repays the money back in full, and Stacey tells Mo she must stay in Walford until she pays Jean back. Mo claims to have psychic abilities as a trick to make money but in reality, she is listening into people's conversations with recording devices. Kat starts a cleaning business with Jean and Stacey, and Mo is forced to join them, but she does not work hard and steals from the employers.

In January 2019, Mo uses her great-grandson Tommy (Shay Crotty) for a money making scheme, but she ends up losing Tommy in the process. He is found by Martin Fowler (James Bye), but fed up with her scheming, Kat and Stacey decide to trick Mo by claiming that Tommy has been missing all day. Not long after, Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami) joins Mo to make quick money. After stealing some of Kat's money, Mo double crosses Kush, but he catches her in the act. Furious, Stacey throws Mo out, and she moves in with Kush. Mo gives Kush a batch of fur coats that he can sell on the market. When Bex Fowler (Jasmine Armfield) hears about fur coats that were recently stolen, she tells Kush and he throws Mo out. However Mo proves that her coats are real, and Kush allows her to live with him.

When Kat and Stacey feud over Kush (now Kat’s boyfriend) going for custody of his and Stacey’s son Arthur Fowler, Mo lies that Jean’s cancer has worsened so they can reunite. However her plan backfires. Mo later moves back in with the Slaters, but ignores eviction letters. The Panesar family decide to buy the house, but they later agree to rent it to the Slaters.

In June 2021, Mo reveals that Fat Elvis has invited her to join him on a cruise. She turns it down after becoming worried about Jean’s behaviour, but Jean convinces Mo to go. Mo behaves shifty as a police car pulls up on the Square, and it is revealed that she has been growing a cannabis farm in the Slaters’ garage. Before she leaves, Mo asks Jean to look after it. In August 2022, Stacey, Martin and her children visit Mo in her caravan park in Essex, where she is staying with Jean. The following month, Mo returns to Walford for Kat's wedding to Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).

In May 2024, Mo follows her great-grandson Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier) to Walford and moves in with Kat. Mo flirts with Stevie Mitchell (Alan Ford) and they begin a brief relationship which ends when Stevie leaves Walford, upsetting Mo. When Bridge Street Market is on the verge of closing, Mo comes up with a money-making scheme as a way to help the market traders, whose livelihoods are under threat by plans to redevelop Bridge Street and the Square Gardens. Mo teams up with Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) and Stevie's daughter-in-law Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) to make an adult calendar of the men of Walford. Her former friend Mickey Miller returns and helps Mo and Kim take photos, and also agrees to be in the calendar. Mo joins Kim on a true crime tour of Sonia Fowler's (Natalie Cassidy) house after her deceased boyfriend Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) is revealed to have murdered his wife Debbie (Jenny Meier) for her life insurance money to pay for his and Sonia's IVF. They follow Sonia and Bianca, causing Bianca to have a panic attack. In June 2025, Mo officiates Kat and Alfie's non-legally binding wedding ceremony. In July 2025, Stacey gives Kat a loan to buy The Queen Vic from Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) and her mother Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe). Mo moves in but gets arrested during the moving-in party for being drunk and disorderly. In September, Mo is reunited with Zoe after 20 years when she returns to Walford. She later goes to stay with Lynne to help her recover from leg surgery. In April 2026, Mo's great-great-granddaughter Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) throws her a belated 90th birthday party.

The character of Mo appears in two spin-offs of EastEnders. She features in the 2004 'soap bubble' EastEnders: Pat and Mo, which explores her past with Pat through flashbacks, in which she is played by Lorraine Stanley. The episode was broadcast to give the viewer "and understanding of, and history to [the] characters".^[17] The episode is partly set in the 1950s and explains Pat and Mo's dislike for each other. A show source said, "When the Slaters arrived in the square three years ago, Pat was horrified. Now the time has come for them to bury the hatchet—or at least try to."^[18] Mo also appears in the straight-to-video spin-off EastEnders: Slaters in Detention in 2003,^[19] and in the 2010 internet spin-off EastEnders: E20.

For her role as Mo, Morse was longlisted for "Best Comic Performance" at the 2024 Inside Soap Awards.^[20][21]

Mo has been described by Ian Hyland from the Sunday Mirror as a "battleaxe" and a woman "with a face like a bulldog chewing a whole nest of wasps and a mouth like a foghorn in the Grand Canyon, she's the only woman I've ever seen who makes Fat Pat look demure."^[22] He added that "This time they've bought finest East End. Every time Mo, the granny, opens her mouth I think jellied eels are going to fly out."^[22] Another writer for the Sunday Mirror, Paul Scott said: "As Big Mo Slater she is the battleaxe from Hell whose tongue-lashings have even the hardest of Walford's hard cases running for cover."^[23] Charlie Catchpole from the Daily Mirror said of Mo's arrival: "I'm sure, that no sooner does a Romanian weightlifter go missing from the Olympics than Mighty Mo Harris arrives in Albert Square."^[24] John Russell from The People called Mo a "motormouth".^[25] In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Mo 39th on their ranked list of the Best EastEnders characters of all time, calling her a "salt-of-the-earth Cockney chancer" who can "always be relied on for a laugh, involving an anecdote about her lover Fat Elvis".^[26]

• Lista de villanos de telenovelas
• Lista de personajes de EastEnders (2000)
• Lista de personajes de EastEnders: E20

• Mo Harris at BBC Online